


A Wayward Kind of Justice

by Bird_Blast



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Artist Nico, M/M, Pre-med Will, University AU, Wannabe Superheroes, with actual powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-07 08:11:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7707481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bird_Blast/pseuds/Bird_Blast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being on a covert team of so-called superheroes is hardly an ideal extracurricular for your second year of university. You can’t put it on your resume, and you can’t hide the bruises it leaves you with the day after.</p><p>Part of a world he never wanted to join in the first place and partnered with someone he never thought he’d see again, Nico learns to deal with all the shit life constantly throws his way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“I already told you, I can’t go out tonight. I’m busy with school.”

“That’s not true. You said you wouldn’t go out, not that you couldn’t.”

“And how is that any different?” Nico looks up at the sound of their fridge door closing, to see Percy's pulled out the orange juice and is unabashedly downing it straight from the carton.

“Wants are more pliable than needs.” Percy replies with a slightly soggy smile.

“Well, I don’t  _want_  to go out tonight.”

“Yes, but you  _need_  to get laid tonight.”

With a scoff, Nico turns back to his textbook and starts back at the top of the paragraph he’s been trying to finish since Percy started hounding him twenty minutes ago. He’s barely through the first sentence when a hand clamps down on his shoulder and spins him around until he’s face to face with Percy’s disapproving glare.

“Come on man, it’s Friday, and we don’t even have class until Tuesday. Have a few drinks with me, then we can go to the club and you can have a guy in and out of your bed before noon tomorrow. Then, you can get right back to your studying.”

“Percy, that’s grossly insensitive.”

“All I’m saying is that it’s about time you got sensitively gross with someone else. I know for a fact that it’s been months since you’ve gotten any action, and almost a year since -”

“Percy, stop.” Nico squirms his way out of Percy’s grip and out of his chair towards his room.

“I just thought you might want to have a little fun before finals hit.” Percy starts after him.

“You're not wrong.” Nico throws a glance over his shoulder. “I just don’t think I’d get much attention in sweatpants and an old t-shirt.”

Nico turns in the doorway to catch the grin that lights up Percy’s face. “So, you’re coming?”

“Just give me a few minutes to change and then we can head out.”

Percy’s joy sends him bouncing along to Nico’s desk and before long, music starts blaring from his computer as Nico digs out a change of clothes and carries them to their shared bathroom. In no time at all he's freshly groomed and trying to wrestle his shaggy hair into a knot as he makes his way towards the kitchen where Percy’s mixing half a bottle of vodka into the remaining orange juice and pouring it into glasses for the both of them.

Percy’s eyes catch his as he steps into the kitchen. His gaze rakes down Nico’s chest, his fitted button up, and down to his black skinny jeans, where it lingers for a moment. Nico can’t help but indulge him with a wink as he sidles up beside him to grab a glass of the newly mixed cocktail.

“Just for the record.” Percy’s voice is low as he slides up behind Nico, bare feet dancing quietly over the tiled floor. Nico puts his glass down as Percy' arms sneak their way around his waist and his breath ghosts down his neck. “You could walk into a bar in a snowsuit and there would still be guys clamouring over each other to get to you.”

Nico wills away his flush before slowly turning around in Percy’s arms and placing both hands on his chest to put some distance between them. He takes some pride in the fact that his voice doesn’t catch when he finally gets some words out. “Well I’m sure they’d at least glance your way first.”

Percy hums in appreciation before removing his hands from Nico and reaching for his drink.

“So where do you want to go?” Nico asks casually as he turns his back to Percy before listing off some of their usual destinations. “Paris, Naples, Montreal? Or there’s always that one dive in Chicago you love so much, for reasons I will never comprehend.”

“I was actually thinking somewhere local. There’s this new place that’s recently opened up just off-campus.”

“Oh.” Nico blinks away his surprise. “Here in the city?”

“Yeah, you’re okay with that, right?”

“Of course,” Nico answers a little too quickly. “Is it, uh -”

“Gay?” Percy doesn't hesitate to finish. “No, not exclusively. But this is New York City. You shouldn’t have a problem finding at least one other guy who likes it up the -”

“Oh my gods.” Nico shoves a hand into Percy’s face as he takes a step around him. “I take it we're walking, then?”

“No, not unless you want to.” Percy answers with a knowing grin, hidden behind Nico’s palm. His roommate’s already got his phone out of his pocket and is tapping away at the screen by the time Nico turns back towards him.

“Not a chance.” Nico smiles when he sees the image of the club that Percy pulls up on his phone and finally removes his hand from Percy’s face to hold it out in earnest. The rock music blaring out of the speakers on his desk and the promise of Percy’s hand in his set his heart racing. He takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. He can feel the alcohol muddling his senses, but it does nothing to blanket the familiar and comforting smell of sulphur that fills his nostrils as his gut begins to twist. Anticipation trickles down his spine and he can feel the goose bumps prickling down his arms when Percy lets out a full-body shiver. Then, a tick of silence before the sounds and lights of the club hit him like a freight train.

\--

They’ve only been dancing for an hour, but Nico is already three sheets to the wind and dripping with sweat. He peels himself off of the stranger he’s been dancing with for the past ten minutes and makes his way towards the bar in search something to quench his thirst.

The music that was nearly deafening on the dance floor fades to a dull roar as he makes his way towards one of the more secluded bars in the back of the building. 

There are half a dozen people occupying the stools lining the counter and Nico has to squeeze his way in between a brunet who’s nursing a cosmopolitan and an obnoxiously loud couple in order to get the bartender’s attention. It takes nearly five minutes to coax the guy into pouring him a glass of water, but less than five seconds after having left the counter for it to be knocked out of his hands.

“Oh shit! I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking at all.”

Nico turns slowly, completely prepared to unleash all holy hell on the person who’s crashed into him, but the words catch in his mouth before he can get them out.

The guy is gorgeous.

The first thing Nico notices is his smile, though drunken and out of place, considering the situation, it’s still bright enough to supplant the sun. Then his eyes, curtained by golden curls, and a blue so pure that you’d be hard pressed to find it anywhere but a clear spring on a perfect summer day. The guy’s only a few inches taller than Nico, but he’s got a decent amount of weight on him in the form of slim muscle.

“You weren’t hurt, were you?” His assailant asks loudly, and Nico realises he’s been spending an equal amount of time waxing poetic and staring, and exactly none reacting like a normal human being. He pats himself down in a vain attempt to do something with his hands short of groping the guy in front of him. He doubts he’d appreciate it considering his hands come back wet from his soaked shirt, along with the fact that it’d be entirely inappropriate.

When Nico finally indicates that he’s unharmed, the blond lets out a sigh of relief. “Good. This meet cute is already awkward enough, as it is. Physical maiming would take it in to an entirely new level.”

It takes a moment for Nico to register what’s happening, but when it does, he can’t help but bark out a laugh. “What makes you think this is a meet cute?”

“Well. We just met, and you’re pretty cute.”

Nico can’t stop his smile. “Are your pickup lines always this charming?”

“Only when I’m either incredibly drunk or the guy is really hot.” The blond inches closer to him. “And I’d say we’re two for two.”

Nico is about to jump the guy when the familiar weight of an arm thrown around his shoulder staggers him. He glances down at the sea creatures inked into his roommate’s tanned skin before groaning inwardly at Percy’s poor timing.

“And who might this be?” Percy’s jovial tone fills the space between them.

The blond is quick to take a step back, while Nico takes one forward in the plotting of Percy’s untimely demise. “Oh, shit, sorry. I didn’t realise that you were -”

“We’re not together.” Nico cuts him off. “This is my roommate, Percy. Percy, this is, uh…”

“Will.” The guy finishes for him. “But I can go, if you two want to be alone or what -”

“Quite the opposite, actually. I was just coming to tell Nico that I’m heading out soon.”

Nico inclines his head upwards before following Percy’s gaze across the room towards a break in the crowd. Steel grey eyes catch his for a moment before he’s drawn back into the conversation by the squeeze of his shoulder.

“I was wondering if you wanted me to wait up or if you had somewhere to stay tonight, like…”

“My place?” Will clues in quickly.

“Exactly.” Percy offers Nico a quick wink before releasing his grip on him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

“Yeah. Later, Perce.” Nico replies as Percy leaves them with two thumbs up and a wacky smile.

“That’s one way to wing-man.” Will lets out a shaky laugh, as he wrings his hands together. “Shall we head out, then? My apartment’s not too far, it’s just a couple blocks west of here.”

“Do you have a picture?” Nico asks.

“What?”

“Never mind.” Nico shrugs. “Do you want to walk?”

Will looks confused. “Was there another option?”

“We could always sprint.”

And just like that, Will’s bright smile is back.

\--

Nico wakes to the soft sound of snoring in his ear, the weight of an arm draped across his chest, and a dull pounding in his head. Taking a minute for his hungover brain to calm and his eyes to gain focus in the bright morning light of the room, he gingerly peels the appendage off his chest and gently returns it to its owner. Pushing himself onto the edge of the bed and rutting his feet into the soft carpet below, Nico can’t help but stare backwards at Will's sleeping form. He takes a moment to admire the vast array of freckles that he’d spent last night mapping with his mouth before standing up to gather up his clothes.

Nico’s almost reluctant to leave once he’s pulled on his pants, but he’s been through enough awkward morning-afters that he knows it’s probably for the best. Conversations are always so much harder when they aren’t fueled by hormones and rapid alcohol consumption. So, with one last indulgent glance and a whiff of sulphur, he makes his way back home.

\--

Nico isn’t expecting to be met with a probing glare when he steps out of his bedroom on the way to the shower. Yet, here he was in the middle of the skinny hallway that splits their apartment, under the heavy scrutiny of a familiar grey stare.

“How did you get in here?” The blonde’s voice mirrors the combativeness of her stance.

“I, uh, live here.” Nico replies.

“Yes, but I didn’t hear the front door -” She pauses a moment to sniff the air, before eyeing him suspiciously. “Is that hydrogen sulphide?”

“Uhh…”

“That smell.” She explains, interpreting Nico’s hesitation as ignorance. “You know, sulphur, brimstone, -”

“Rotten eggs.” Percy’s voice trails behind him as he rounds the corner of the hallway to wrap the blonde in an tight embrace. “Sorry, babe. I was just cleaning out the fridge. I’m not the best with expiration dates."

“Okay…” The explanation doesn’t seem to quite satisfy her, but Percy’s quick to change the subject.

“So do you want to join us for breakfast, Nico? No offence, but you kind of look like you could use some coffee.”

“No thanks. I’m just going to shower and then head to the library. I'll get something to eat on the way." Then, in a half-assed attempt of corroboration. "I’ll pick up some more eggs while I’m there.” 

“Sure thing, man. I’ll catch you later, then.” Percy’s aloof façade is flawless from many years of practice.

“It was nice meeting you.” The blonde offers him a tight smile before following Percy out the door.

It’s only when Nico is finally alone in front of the bathroom mirror that he remembers his sex-crazed hair and the hickeys covering his neck and chest.

\--

Nico leaves the apartment an hour later feeling refreshed and looking infinitely more presentable, with his shoulder length black hair tied back into a loose ponytail, and his wardrobe explicitly chosen to hide the bruises that line his neck.

The day is bitterly cold and the sky an oppressive grey as he locks the door behind him and heads down the narrow streets that serve as a shortcut to the library.

Early December in New York City is always a sorrow affair. The picturesque ideal of white freshly fallen snow lining the streets is hardly more than a pipe dream when faced with the reality of the slushy mess that Nico’s currently trudging through. The main buildings of their shared university are only a few blocks away from Nico and Percy’s apartment, but the library that Nico favours is on the opposite side of campus, and makes for a decently long walk. It’s not usually one Nico minds, but today the calm of his journey is cut short by a shrill scream.

Nico tenses momentarily as pigeon abandons it perch on a nearby trashcan. The scream is a one-time affair, but he can hear shouting coming from around the corner of the alley. He quietly sidles up to the wall, flexing his fingers in the cold air to as possibilities run though his head. A discrete peek around the corner tells him that the source of the scream is a young woman huddled against a wall, bounded in by two men.

“Fuck.” Nico hisses through gritted teeth. A chain hangs from one of the man’s hands like a snake coiled and ready to attack. The other in an show of could-be malice is spinning a length of piping in one hand that could have earned him a relatively successful career as a baton twirler if he hadn’t chosen a life of crime, instead. Nico takes a split second to make a decision. That he has to help is a given, but he briefly considers which one of the two men he’s going to have to take out first. Every single way he could be killed or maimed with a three foot long length of chain runs through his head before he concludes that the failed cheerleader with the pipe is a bigger threat.

Taking a moment to recall his eighteenth birthday and the jail cell that he’d spent it in after being caught in the dead of night with his hands covered in paint and a backpack full of spray paint. Nico takes a steadying breath before leaping around the corner and sprinting into battle.

The first man is gone before the second has any time to react. The smell of brimstone fills the alleyway as blood and adrenaline swish through his body and Nico places himself between the remaining assailant and his victim. Nico takes the man’s brief moment confusion over his friend’s disappearance as an opportunity to land a solid right hook to his face.

A sharp pain bursts through his hand at the impact, but the large crack and the sputter of blood Nico’s managed to relieve the man of makes it worth it. Backing up and wiping his bloodied knuckles on his pants, Nico weighs his options. It’s hardly the first fight he’s been in, but in the past he’d bene up against kids his age and he hadn’t just used up all his strength transporting a fully grown man halfway across New York City. Meanwhile, the guy in front of him has a good fifty pounds on him and a weapon to Nico’s bare fists. He can’t send him away yet, not with the cold air stabbing at his lungs with each heavy breath he takes. He needs a minute to recover his strength, but if the glare his sparring partner’s giving him is any indication, he has about ten seconds before he gets his face caved in.

The man takes a step forward and Nico takes a step back. He has to resist rolling his eyes as the guy unfurls the chain and begins to drag it along the ground has he makes his approach. He’d normally feel obliged to call the guy out on his shoddy showmanship, but there were more pressing matters at the moment. Like cursing his mind for running back through all the ways he could be killed by a three foot length of chain.

The man is quick to whip the length of chain straight at Nico’s head when he gets within range, but Nico is faster. He drops to the floor along the man’s left side and kicks at his ankle with all the force he can muster. The loud crack of impact brings the man to his knees, but Nico’s position below him leaves him little time to escape the man’s grip as he falls. Strong arms wrap around his legs as he struggles to push the man off, but it’s not long before man has him pinned beneath him.

A strong blow his Nico square in the nose. He barely has time to register the crack of his head against the concrete before the guy hits him again. His throat convulses as the taste of iron fills his mouth, caught between the desperate need to draw a breath and keeping the blood out of his lungs. Nico’s close to puking by the time the man finally pulls back.

 “What the fuck did you do?” The guys voice rings loud in his ears. “Where is he?”

Blood sputters from Nico’s mouth when the guy lets off his chest and he can finally breath again. The guy shakes him forcefully when he doesn’t respond, clearly expecting an answer instead of violent coughs of blood. So through a crimson red smile, Nico gives him one. “Lincoln Street Jail. But don’t worry, you’ll be joining him soon.”

He can still feel the brimstone in the air from what feels like seconds ago, but Nico draws on it as a comforting memory as he puts all the energy he can muster into one last ditch effort to survive. A darkness colder than the frozen concrete against his back and blacker than his dampening vision clouds his mind as the strain pushes him to the edge of consciousness.

It takes a minute for him to notice that the painful pressure of the man’s arm against his sternum is gone. Is he safe, or just dead? It’s hard for him to tell, not having much experience with either feeling. Does it really matter? There’s less noble ways to die than by saving some lady from a similar fate, he figures. Like being strangled to death by a metal chain, or being bludgeoned to death by a metal chain, or being hung to death from a fire escape by a metal chain...

“Hey, are you okay?” A stranger’s voice. "Are you alive?"

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Nico means to say. A compilation of groans is all that escapes his mouth.

“Don’t push yourself.” The voice urges as its owner helps him into a sitting position.

“Too late for that.” Nico mutters, wincing at the throbbing pain in his head and fighting back the urge to vomit. His right eye is completely swollen shut, but through his left he can see the look of concern on the woman’s face.

“I’m going to call you an ambulance, all right?” She’s already got her phone out and her fingers at the ready.

“No, wait, don’t do that.” Nico winces at the sensation of blood dribbling down his chin when he opens his mouth.

“Seriously?” The woman’s eyes follow the blood as it drips down his throat. “Look. I don’t know what just happened, but you’re bleeding everywhere and I really don’t think you should be anywhere else but the hospital right now.”

“You need to get to Lincoln Street Jail.” Nico grinds out, leaning his body into the nearby brick wall. “And explain to them why they suddenly have two more people locked up and unaccounted for.”

“Why  _do_  they have two more people locked up and unaccounted for?”

“That part’s not important.” Nico lets out a rough sigh. “But you do need to tell them about how they attacked -”

“Wait, when you say two...” The woman cuts him off.

“Fuck.” Nico rubs at his face, ignoring the smearing of blood across his skin. “How many were there?”

“Three.” She murmurs, eyes darting around the alley. “I swear I just saw him.”

“Stay here.” Nico grits out as he gets to his feet. Every single bone in his body resists him as he makes his way down the alley towards the corner he’d come from. There’s no way he just walked past the guy, the alley had been empty minutes ago when he’d first arrived. Yet, rounding the corner, he finds nothing out of the ordinary. Just trash cans, a few snow covered milk crates, and the faint smell of ozone lingering in the air.


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m going to guess you didn’t get those falling down the stairs.” Percy’s voice was light, but Nico could see the concern in his face as he eyed the cuts along his knuckles and the welts along the side of his face. “Or are you going to tell me that you decided to take a spontaneous trip off the top of the Empire State Building?”

“Percy, it’s okay, it’s not a big deal.” Nico said, shrugging out of his shirt and casually examining it as if the bloodstains would miraculously spell out some way to avoid the conversation.

“No, it most definitely is not okay.” It looked like Percy had zero intention of granting him such a blessing. “Who the fuck did this to you?”

“Just some guys I ran into on the way to the library.” Nico wasn’t in the mood to indulge Percy in a lengthy discussion, considering he'd just walked back to their apartment in the freezing cold, covered in blood and with his right eye swollen shut. The trek had earned him several strange looks along the way, but he’d been too tired to notice or care. And now, with him half-naked in the bathroom and with Percy’s eyes bearing holes into him, he wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

“Just some guys?” Percy’s voice was low. “Nico, for gods’ sake, you look like you lost a battle with a trained battle gorilla, just tell me what happened.”

“Fine. If it will get you to leave me alone for five seconds.” Nico growled back, before finally rambling out his version of a peace treaty. “Some guys were about to do _gods know what_ to some girl, so I sent them off to jail. I couldn’t get the both of them at once, and one of the guys got off a few good punches while I was busy with the other. Now will you please move out of the way so that I can wash all this blood -”

“Holy shit, Nico!” Percy clearly wasn’t looking for peace. “You used your magic in broad daylight on two thugs who probably hate your guts now, and some random stranger who’s probably going to go out and blab to all her friends about the freak who can vanish people into thin air! Do you realise what you’ve done, why this is a completely horrible situation?”

“No, Percy!" Nico’s patience was shot. “I don’t see why sending two criminals to jail and saving a lady’s life is the worst possible thing that could have happened.”

Nico was fuming as he backed his roommate up against the tiled wall of their bathroom. Percy’s insincere concern had riled him up and he wasn’t going to back down now that they were having a full-blown argument, and Nico knew how to make him hurt.

“Just because you’re too scared to use your powers to actually do anything useful, doesn’t mean that I have to sit around and watch as people get away with shit that they shouldn’t be able to! I did something good today, and if it means that I have to suffer through a few weeks of bruises because of it, so fucking what?”

“You’re wrong.” Percy ground out. He was looking at him in a way he hadn’t in a long time. “You don’t know the kinds of consequences you’re going to have to deal with because of what you did.”

“Good gods.” Nico murmured as he spun around. “I can’t believe you’re actually mad at me right now. Just let me clean up and you can lecture me all you want later.”

“Nico, we are not done talking about this.” Percy was quick to grab hold of Nico’s arm.

“Oh, I think we are.” Nico tried to shrug him off, but Percy’s grip was unyielding.

“Do you not see how completely irresponsible you’re being?”

Nico’s anger flared at the accusation, and in a moment of bittersweet irony, he thought back to the bottom of the lake where he and Percy had shared their first kiss. With the memory in the forefront of his mind, all it took was one brimstone laced shove and Percy was gone.

\--

As Nico stood in the stream of the shower, he let the water cleanse him of his sins. He refused to let his guilty conscious bother him. Percy would be fine, because as much as he hated to admit it these days, he could hold his breath underwater for an impressive amount of time.

Nico watched the never-ending spiral of red-tinged water circle the drain for what felt like an eternity before finally beginning to scrub himself down in earnest.

It took nearly half an hour for the water to run clear.

Stepping out of the shower, he went through the nearby cabinet in search of their first aid kit. Setting it on the counter, he took some time to examine the full extent of his injuries in the mirror. He winced as he brought a tentative finger to the purple puffiness surrounding his right eye. No wonder Percy had been so persistent at first, his face looked like the aftermath of a shitty zombie makeup tutorial.

 _Nothing that won’t heal in time._ Nico thought to himself as he got to work wrapping his injuries in gauze. He only hoped the same could be said for him and Percy.

\--

It was nearly dark out when he heard the door to the apartment open and close from the confines of his bedroom. Nico could sense Percy’s footsteps echoing down the hallway, but he was surprised to hear them continue past his room in the direction of the kitchen. Unsure of what it meant, Nico shut his laptop with a sigh and left his room in search for an answer.

Percy was making a sandwich when he found him in the kitchen. Nico watched in silence as he slathered a piece of bread in peanut butter before mashing it into another one that he’d doused in honey. Nico followed his roommate to the bench that served as their dining table before taking a seat across from him, watching as Percy took several bites of his sandwich before laying it down on the table. When Percy still said nothing, Nico quirked an eyebrow at him in silent question.

“I’m hungry, Nico.” Percy’s voice was hard. “I’m hungry, and I’m tired, and I can’t feel my toes, because I had to spend an entire fucking hour traversing Long Island in the middle of winter, looking for someone who would drive me into the city, okay?.”

Nico wanted to offer an apology, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out. It hardly mattered, seeing as anything he could have said would have fallen flat, anyway.

“Fuck.” Percy scrubbed at his face with his hands while Nico sat there with his mouth open. “Did you even try to come looking for me?”

Nico had to look away.

“Good.” Percy admonished. “You’d probably have dropped dead from exhaustion, what with all the magic you’ve been using today.”

The two of them sat in an uncomfortable silence as Percy finished the rest of his sandwich, Nico plucking quietly at the gauze blanketing his knuckles. He almost figured Percy was tired of the one-sided conversation, but he knew their argument wasn’t going to end without them reaching some sort of resolution.

“I never thought I’d have a single bad memory from summer camp.” Nico was surprised to hear the sadness in Percy’s voice. He had expected anger or belligerence, not quiet resignation. “But I guess everything has to change eventually.”

“I’m sorry.” Nico’s voice was dry when he finally mustered enough resolve to apologize. “It was the first place I thought to send you.”

“It’s fine. Well, no." Percy was quick to correct. "It’s not fine. I’m still mad at you for the four hour journey it took to get home, but I’m not all that hung up over you sending me to the bottom of our lake in the first place.”

“What?” It was the last admission that Nico had expected to hear from Percy.

“Look, the trip back gave me a lot of time to think about what you said, and I get it. I would be dead at the bottom of that lake if I didn’t have my magic, just like that girl might be in a similar position if you hadn’t stepped in to save her.” Percy let out a sigh before adding. “It’s not fair for me to let my own hang-ups get in the way of you doing what you want to with your magic.”

“Percy…” Nico was unsure of how to respond. 

“I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier, but you have to know that it’s only because I care about you too much to see you get hurt. You may have walked away with a few cuts bruises this time, but what if you hadn’t been able to send the second guy away or what if there were more of them around? I’m not asking you to stop doing what’s right, but could you at least be a little more careful about it in the future?”

Nico wanted to ask Percy if he knew how ridiculous his request sounded, but he only nodded instead.

“I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth. You know that I used to be the first one to jump at the chance to help someone, even if it meant risking my own ass, but look where that got me. I never want you to have to go through what I did, Nico. It fucked me up so badly, and it would kill me to see you stuck like I was.

“We’re not the same people, Percy.” Nico knew it to be true.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Percy’s principles were unrelenting. “I’m not the same rambunctious kid you fell in love with all those years ago at summer camp. I grew up, Nico, and I think it’s about time you did, too.”

\--

Nico woke up to an empty bed.

Not that it was unusual, barring the previous night, but his talk with Percy had brought back memories of the summers where they’d wake up in the same bed, tangled in each other’s arms. As he glanced around the lonely interior of his room, he found that for the first time in a year, he actually missed the comforting presence of waking up next to someone.

Pushing the thought out of his head and himself out of his bed, Nico made his way towards the bathroom to prepare for the day. Relieved that he wouldn’t run into Percy, who would not be back from his varsity swim training for a while, he took his time in the shower before reapplying his bandages and heading out the door.

He was grateful for the cold weather that allowed him to hide his wounds beneath a heavy scarf as he made his way through the icy streets towards his studio. He’d made the choice to forego the library today in favour of finishing some of the work that he’d been neglecting of the past few weeks.

Keying himself into the building with his student card, he climbed the stairs to the third floor and made his way down the hallway towards the second-year studio. Surprised to find the room empty and smiling at his good fortune, he shrugged out of his heavy winter clothes and got to work.

\--

Nico loved the various studio spaces that the university provided for its small program of art students. The one he was in was a large corner suite with floor-to-ceiling windows lining its outer walls, and several decades’ worth of art plastered along the inner ones. Surrounded by the old paintings, Nico felt lost in time whenever he came here to work, and today was no exception.

“I like what you’re painting there.”

Nico took a moment to finish off the paint in his brush before turning around to observe the person who’d somehow managed to sneak up on him without him noticing. He had to look up to get a good look at his face, but that wasn’t so unusual seeing as Nico was only five foot eight to this guy’s unabashed six foot something.

“What makes you think I painted this?” Nico tried for a casual once-over as he took in the guy’s shortly cropped blond hair and the gold rimmed glasses that did nothing to hide his exceptionally blue eyes. The guy was still bundled in a heavy winter coat and jeans that did absolutely nothing to satisfy Nico’s curiosity.

The guy merely smiled at Nico’s retort and nodded towards the paintbrush in his hand.

“That doesn’t prove anything." Nico said tucking the brush into his apron. "I could just be here to deface the artwork.”

“Well then you’re doing a pretty shitty job at ruining it.” The guy said with a laugh. Nico wanted nothing more than to laugh along, maybe even indulge the guy in some casual flirting, but something about him made Nico feel uneasy, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on why that was.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” Nico inquired. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around the studio before.”

“Oh, I’m not an art student, but I do go here.” The guy said, sticking out his hand. “The name’s Jason Grace. Fourth year polisci.”

Nico’s gaze fell on Jason’s outstretched hand for a moment before flicking up to his all-too-kind face. “How did you get in here, then? The scanner should only let art students through.”

Jason’s smile faltered for a second. “Look, I know this whole situation might seem a bit strange, but we just wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday…”

Nico’s heart skipped a beat. He could already sense the sulphur in the air as he took a step backwards and thought of his apartment.

“Wait! Stop!” A female’s voice from outside the room, accompanied by the faint smell of perfume.

“Shit. He’s going to -”

The sharp smell of ozone.

A jolt of electricity.

Then, silence.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus art, [here.](http://explorerbird.tumblr.com/post/148784450090/stop-flirting-with-every-single-guy-you-meet)


	3. Chapter 3

Nico could tell something was off even before opening his eyes. The bed he was in was too soft, the pillows too large, and the throbbing in his skull too clear a reminder of having hit the floor face first when he’d lost consciousness. All too weary of the comfort ostensibly provided for him, he eased one eye open to the bright light of what appeared to be a hospital room.

“Hey, please don’t freak out.” A voice he immediately recognized as belonging to Jason Grace, one of his kidnappers.

At his words, Nico’s brain went into overdrive as if to spite the man. His fight or flight instincts kicked in, throttled towards getting the fuck out out of his confinement. He could already smell a mix of brimstone and ozone in the air as he tried to think about literally anywhere else.

“It’s not going to work.” Jason was standing at the edge of his bed looking far too at ease in the situation Nico was trying to get as far away from as possible. He should have already been gone, but the sharp jolt he felt whenever he was ready to jump stopped him from leaving.

“What the fuck is going on.” Nico hissed when he realised that his efforts were getting him nowhere. “What the hell did you do to me?”

“Nothing permanent.” Jason assured him. “Just a little something that makes it hard for people to find their focus. I don’t especially like having to resort to unwillful confinement, but your abilities make it very hard to hold a conversation with you, as long as you’re in the mood for avoiding one.”

Nico eyed Jason from his position on the bed before shoving the covers off and planting his feet on the cool linoleum floor. When the blond did nothing to impede him, he stepped around him and walked towards the windows that lined the end of room. He didn’t recognize the immediate area, but he could see some familiar buildings in the distance that told him he was still in New York City. Feeling slightly more at ease in his surroundings, he turned quickly back towards Jason. “So you just want to talk?”

“That’s all.” Jason was smiling as took a seat and nodded Nico back towards the bed.

Barefoot and still wearing his smock over his tank top and jeans, Nico climbed onto the bed to get comfortable for a conversation that he was surely going to dread.

“So, first of all…” Jason started when Nico was seated cross-legged on the bed. “How much do you know about your powers?”

“How much do _you_ know about my powers?” Nico was quick to shoot back.

Undeterred by Nico’s attitude, Jason began counting off points with his fingers. “I know that you can teleport yourself and others just about anywhere just by thinking about it. I know that every time you do, you leave behind the smell of sulphur dioxide. I know that your powers started developing in your early teens, that they started off hard to control, but became easier to use over time. I know there’s a good chance you’re dyslexic, that you have inexplicable cravings for chocolate when you use your powers, and while unrelated, I know that you throw a mean right hook.”

Of all the curiously accurate details that Jason had just rattled off, the last one was what caught Nico’s attention, and what made him realise. “You were in the alley yesterday. That’s where the other guy went, and that's the reason why I could smell ozone in the air, isn't it?”

“Yes, ozone is what we call my marker.” Jason explained. “Just like sulphur dioxide is yours.”

“What _we_ call?” Nico quirked an eyebrow. “I didn’t take you for royalty.”

Jason’s permanent smile widened into a grin. “You didn’t think you were the only one in the world with abilities, did you?”

“No.” He wasn’t going to mention Percy at a time like this. “But that doesn’t answer my question.”

“Right, well that’s sort of the whole reason I wanted to talk to you in the first place. _We_ , in this case, are a collection of individuals with special abilities who have gathered together with the goal of making the world a better place. We have groups of our people set up all around the country helping out in whatever way they can, with whatever abilities they may possess.”

“That sounds like a noble effort and all.” Nico wasn’t buying it, given the sterile room he was being held in and the overly cheerful vibes Jason was giving off, he'd sooner believe he was running a cult than a charitable organization. “But what exactly does this have to do with me?”

“Nico, our organization is doing a whole lot of good in the world, and ever since I saw you save that girl from those thugs, I knew that I wanted you help us achieve our goals.”

“ _Our goals?_  Nico scoffed. “I take it you don't want me for my artistic talents, then. You just need someone who’s good in a fight.”

“You don’t seem to understand, Nico. We’re a peaceful organization. We help people. We don’t go around looking for fights.”

“Is that a policy you adapted before or after you kidnapped me and kept me in here against my will?”

“Look, Nico.” Jason let out a sigh. “I realise that this is a lot to take in, and that some of our previous actions may have left you a little wary of our peaceful claims. So, if I promise to drop the block on your powers, will you promise to at least let me give you a tour of our facilities to try and prove our good intentions?”

Nico examined the man sitting across from him as he took in his words. He was clearly likeable and all too happy to talk to him, but then again, so were serial killers. Yet, despite his instincts telling him to get as far away as possible, the knowledge that there were others like him out there, and the way Jason’s spiel had reminded him of his own argument towards Percy a day meant, meant that he couldn’t just walk away now.

“Is that a yes?” Jason enthusiasm was directed towards Nico’s slight nod. “Great, let’s get going!”

The moment Jason left his chair, the scent of Nico's magic filled the air.

Spinning around towards bed empty, Jason nearly kicked himself before he heard the room’s door click open.

“Just checking.” Nico was grinning at him from the open doorway. “So, are you going to give me a tour, or what?”

\--

“Who’s the newbie?” Nico walked through the door, unprepared for all of his senses to be simultaneously assaulted by a short Latino gent in a t-shirt and overalls. Before Nico could stop him, the man threw an arm around his shoulder and began rambling off a series of rapid-fire questions, leaving him with no time to answer them.

“Uh...” The room smelled strongly of burning plastic and when it was clear the guy had no intention of addressing the issue, Nico cut in. “Jason said this was the engineering lab. Should it smell like something’s on fire?”

“Oh, that’s just my marker.” Leo sniffed at the air. “Probably.”

“Nico, this is Leo Valdez.” Jason explained as he stepped between them.  “He’s head of our engineering department here in New York. He’s been working on ways to transport supplies across the country faster and more cheaply than most commercially available alternatives. Think: pre-programmed, lightweight, supersonic carrier drones.”

“Really?” Nico quirked an eyebrow as he glanced over to the table that held Leo’s latest invention. “Because this looks like half of a flamethrower and all of the parts you’d need to build the rest of it.”

“That’s because I’m also working on building a pocket-sized working flamethrower.” Leo winked at him.

“You can’t be serious.” Jason said making his way over to the table. “Leo, I never cleared this project.”

“Yeah, well you didn’t clear the espresso machine I built for the lounge either, but I think we all know which one of us gets the most use out of that little project every morning.” Leo’s grin was ruthless.

“I’m not letting you build a flamethrower, Leo.” Jason ground out. “What would we even use it for?”

“It’s a flamethrower, Jason.” Leo said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I think the answer to that question is self-evident.”

“I’ve been trying to show Nico how our organization’s been working towards peace, not fiery destruction.” Jason took off his glasses and ran a hand down the side of his face.

“Then what did you bring him here for, chico?” Leo looked genuinely confused. “You should have taken him up to see Miranda in the bio labs. You could have shown him some of the sustainable energy projects she’s been working on.”

“I did, but...” Jason was too embarrassed to elaborate.

“Her giant carnivorous plant tried to eat me.” Nico explained.

“Veronica?” Leo’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s crazy, she wouldn’t-”

“Hurt a fly?” Nico finished incredulously.

“Okay, anyway! Why don’t I show you our humanities department?" Jason tried to change the subject as he ushered Nico towards the door. "They’ve made some incredible breakthroughs in music therapy recently.”

“Enjoy the rest of your tour!” Nico heard Leo holler as the door slid shut behind them.

Jason led Nico towards the elevator in a bout of tense silence. His shoulders were set and his entire body tense as they made their way down the hallway away from engineering.

“Leo seems… nice.” Nico ventured. “If not a little eccentric.”

Jason let out a sigh as he jabbed at the elevator call button. “He is. Both of those. But, he’s also a good guy, and his talents and powers have done a lot of good for our organization.”

“His powers?” Nico couldn’t say he wasn’t curious.

“Leo can talk to machines.” Jason obliged. “In fact, I found him at an ultimate bot fighting championship four years ago, yelling at his robot instead of working his remote control.”

“Four years ago?” Leo couldn’t have been more than a year older than Nico. “He would have been what, like, sixteen?”

“Yeah, he’d already dropped out of school and was living out his last two years of foster care at some group home in Phoenix.” Jason looked uncomfortable relaying the fact. “Leo hasn’t exactly had the easiest of childhoods - most of us here haven’t. But what matters is the fact that he’s here now, helping out our team while he works towards a degree in engineering.”

“He goes to university here?” Nico was surprised to hear.

“Most of us do.” Jason shrugged. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I was a fourth year political science student. In fact, I haven’t lied to you once since we first met.”

Nico merely hummed incredulously as the two of them stepped into the elevator. Jason wouldn’t stop fidgeting throughout the entire ride, and something about the obvious effort he was putting into earning Nico’s trust, despite his failure of a tour, eased his relieved his doubts of the whole thing being a trap. It wasn’t until they were both out of the elevator that Jason finally spoke up.

“Look, I get that you’re mad about the whole kidnapping thing, but the truth is - a lot of us were like you when we first joined this organization. We kept to ourselves, trying to hide our powers from the rest of the world in fear of what they’d think of us. I know we’re not perfect, and that includes Leo, Katie, even me, but we’re doing the best we can, and I was hoping that you could see past our flaws to what we’re trying to be, instead.”

“I have.” Nico replied easily. “But I have to admit, this place isn’t exactly what I expected…”

Jason stopped walking and turned to face Nico. “What did you expect?”

“I’m not sure. Some sort of fascist military training facility led by shadowy men with terrible hidden agendas?” Jason let out a nervous laugh at that. “At the very least, I didn’t expect to find university students my age working on life-changing projects in their spare time.”

“So are you convinced?” Jason said, biting at his lip. “Will you join our organization, maybe help us do a little good for the world?”

“Yeah.” Nico replied slowly. “I think I will.”

“That’s great, man!” Jason thumped him on the back. “Everyone will be so happy to hear the good news.”

“Just one question.” Nico had to place a hand on Jason’s arm to keep him from bouncing up and down. “How is it that you expect me to help out around here? You weren’t wrong when you said that all I’m good for is throwing a punch, and while the place is looking a little drab, I’m assuming you didn’t bring me here to paint your walls.”

“First of all, it was you who implied that's all you were good for, not me.” Jason chided. “Second of all, we’ve already got a plan for how you can help us that involves neither sword nor brush.”

“Okay, and that would be?”

“Why don’t you follow me?” Jason started making his way down the hallway, back the way they came, waving Nico after him. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Nico had to jog to keep up with Jason’s long strides. “Who, exactly?”

“Another one of our new recruits.” Jason explained happily. “You see, over the past few weeks, we’ve been getting reports of break-ins from hospitals in the middle of the night. At first we thought it was just someone stealing drugs for resale on the streets, but the hospitals would never report anything missing. Stranger still, we would get these reports alongside news of patients being miraculously cured of their ailments the very next day.”

“What?” Nico’s interest was piqued. “So, you think it’s someone with powers breaking into hospitals to what... cure the sick?”

“No, we _know_ it was someone with powers breaking into hospitals to cure the sick.” Jason grinned as he stopped in front of a door marked LOUNGE. “Nico, I’d like for you to meet our second newest recruit, and the other half of our brand new emergency response team…”

Nico blanched as Jason pushed open the door and he caught sight of a familiar head of golden curls and a stricken blue-eyed stare.

It was Will.


	4. Chapter 4

Jason was already talking, but Nico wasn’t paying him any attention. His entire focus was on the man sitting on the leather sofa across from him with a deer-in-the-headlights expression that matched his own. To Will’s credit, he recovered from their mutual state of confusion first by standing up and, less to his credit, immediately tripping over his own feet and landing in a heap on the floor.

As Nico stared down at Will, he seriously considered the possibility of the past twenty-four hours having been some sort of fever dream triggered by a night of drunken partying and reckless sex. As ridiculous as it sounded, the idea was far more likely than his one-night stand showing up at the same secret organization of super powered idealists that Nico had somehow stumbled into. _Right?_

“Hey, are you okay?” Nico tuned back in to reality as Jason helped Will to his feet.

“Yeah, sorry. Just a little clumsy, that’s all.” Will brushed himself off as he regained his composure.

“No worries, man.” Jason was all smiles as he pointed Will towards Nico. “Anyways, as I was saying - this is Nico di Angelo, your new partner. Nico, this is Will Solace, the healer I was telling you about.”

“Um, hi.” Will mumbled as he awkwardly thrust one hand out towards Nico. “Nice to meet you.”

Nico reached out and shook it for lack of a better idea.

“Right, so I was hoping that you two could spend a little time getting to know each other while I go and track down Piper so that we can get you set up with everything you’ll need for active duty.” Jason explained happily, oblivious to the look Will and Nico were sharing.

“Sure. We’ll just, uh…”

“Get to know each other.” Will finished for Nico.

“Great. I’ll be right back.” Jason assured them as he made his way out of the room, before stopping in the doorway. “Oh, and Will? Maybe you could… you know.”

Nico watched as Jason gestured towards his own face before nodding towards Nico.

“Sure.” Will answered the unvoiced suggestion.

Nico waited until Jason’s footsteps had retreated down the hall, before turning to Will. “What exactly does he want you to do?”

“He wants me to fix your face.” Will replied with a shrug.

“Excuse me?”

“Not, like… I mean, he wants me to heal your injuries.”

“Oh. Right.” Nico suddenly remembered his black eye and the heavy bruising of his face. The pain had faded into the background, leaving it momentarily forgotten, but he knew from that morning that the injuries still looked nearly as bad as they had a day ago. “So what Jason said earlier… you can actually heal people?”

“Yeah. Well, to an extent.” Will looked slightly embarrassed by the admission. “I mean, I can show you if you want. Just come sit down first. I want to get a good look at your face.”

Nico said nothing, but he dutifully followed Will to the couch where they took up position across from each other, with Nico sitting crossed legged on the centre cushion and Will leaning over him with a curious look on his face.

“Do you mind if I…?” Will asked as he extended a tentative hand towards Nico’s injuries.

Nico gave a short nod, then did his best to relax as he felt Will’s fingers brush the skin under his right eye. He held back a wince as Will began to apply pressure to the area before letting out a grunt and turning his attention towards the cuts along his nose. Nico could feel his skin tingling in response to the attention, but he held still as Will’s fingers carefully roamed along the contours of his face.

“Looks like you were in a pretty serious fight.” Will said when he finally pulled back. “You’ve got some periorbital hematoma, subconjunctival hemorrhaging, and several lacerations across your nose and cheek, and some less serious abrasions along your chin, too.”

“Uh, what?” Nico replied dumbly.

“Oh don’t worry.” Will let out a small laugh. “It looks and sounds a lot worse than it is, but it’s nothing I can’t fix.”

“Right.” Nico was at a loss for complete sentences. “Okay.”

“Do you mind if I get started then? It shouldn’t take more than a minute.”

“Actually, I do sort of -” Nico slid a hand between himself and Will and gave a slight push. “How does this work, exactly? Your powers, I mean.”

Will let out a sigh as his hands fell loosely into his lap. “I don’t know, exactly.”

“You don’t know?” Nico shot him a look, maybe a little too paranoid.

“I mean, I don’t… I don’t know _how_ they work. I just know that they do. All I can tell you is that when someone who’s hurt or injured, my first instinct is to do whatever I can to make them feel better. You see, when I was a kid, I thought that all I could do was offer a short prayer for their wellbeing. But then, as I got older, I realised that God wasn’t the only one with the power to heal.” Will was aggressively mashing his hands together now, and Nico could tell he was distraught. “One day, I realised that if I thought about it hard enough, I could fade some of bruises I got playing football, or will away any nicks I gave myself shaving. Sure, I didn’t know _how_ I could do it - if it was through God’s divine will or the Devil’s handiwork, but I knew that it worked. So please, just let me help you this once, if only to make me feel better for having eased some of your pain.”

Nico wasn’t sure what to say, but he wasn’t ready to argue with someone so fervent about offering his help. Removing the hand keeping them an arms length apart, Nico let Will get in close.

“Thank you.” Warmth emanated from Will’s hand as he gently cupped Nico’s bruised cheek, and he couldn’t help but lean into the touch. For a moment, all of Nico’s senses were caught up in the shared contact, but as time drew on, he took notice of a change in the air, one so out of place that he thought he’d imagined it at first. The presence of something so unique to summer was the last thing Nico was expecting in the dead cold of New York City’s winter, yet there was no mistaking the smell of freshly cut grass that was filling the air as Will worked his magic.

The scent flooded his consciousness with memories of the summers he’d spent with Percy at camp, and the afternoons he’d spend playing in the yard, his mother watching from the porch. After what felt like an eternity, Will finally pulled away and the intoxicating aroma of his powers were lost to the monotony of the overly ventilated office space they were stuck in.

“You’re all patched up, then.” Nico watched as Will took a moment to shake away the obvious strain using his power had put him under. “There’s a mirror in the bathroom if you want to take a look.”

“Thanks.” Nico said as he followed Will’s gaze towards a door on the other side of the room. Pushing it closed behind him, he slowly made his way over to the sink, not quite dreading, but nevertheless pushing back having to look at his reflection.

He’d expected to find scarring or at least some swelling, but when Nico ran his fingers across his perfectly smooth skin, he couldn’t feel a single blemish. All signs of the previous day’s fight had vanished, the red of his eye, the cuts along his nose. But not only that, even the small scar from when he’d accidentally torn out his eyebrow piercing in tenth grade was nowhere to be seen. For several seconds he pulled at his face in the mirror in search of a single mark or scratch from his past, before spinning on his heel and yanking the door open.

“Is something wrong?” Will asked in response to Nico’s slightly panicked expression.

“No! Fuck, I don’t know. I’ve been having a very strange day.”

“Tell me about it.” Will let out a terse laugh. “My entire week’s just been one surprise after the next.”

Nico groaned as he crumpled onto one of the stools lining the open counter that separated the small kitchen from the rest of the lounge. He began to rub his hands up and down his face as Will rose from his seat on the couch and made his way around the counter to one of the overhead cupboards above them.

“Do you want some hot chocolate?” Will asked as he began gathering supplies from various drawers around the kitchen. “They pretty much keep it permanently stocked here. Something about cocoa helping us recover faster after we use our magic.”

“Magic?” Nico ground out from behind his hands. “Is that what they call it here?”

“Y’know, I’m not really sure.” Will admitted as he filled up a kettle with water and flicked it on. “That’s what most people here call it, but I’ve heard some people talk about their powers, abilities, charms, stuff like that. I think it’s because everyone’s magic is so different, that there are so many names for it.”

“Huh.” The casual demeanor with which Will was addressing the situation eased his nerves. “I guess that makes sense.”

Will merely nodded in agreement as he began to pour the boiling water into mugs for the both of them. It was only after he’d joined Nico at the counter with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate did he finally continue their conversation. “So what sort of magic have you got? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Jason didn’t tell you?” Nico asked as he pulled one of the mugs towards him and brought it to his lips.

“No, I only got the call from Jason to come to headquarters a couple hours ago. He said he’d found someone who complemented my magic perfectly. But he didn’t mention how, or that it would be, uh… you.”

“Right. Should we, uh, talk about that?” Nico thumbed awkwardly at the handle of his mug.

“I was thinking, maybe, we could leave it for later.” Will replied before sipping at his own drink. “Why don’t we stick to business matters for the time being.”

“Business matters?” Nico couldn’t help but laugh. “Is that what we’re calling it?”

“Well, calling it superhero matters sounds a little bit ostentatious, don’t you think?”

“Mmm, Jason doesn’t seem to think so.”

“I know, right?” Will rolled his eyes. “Dude’s a bit much, even for me.”

Nico hummed in agreement as he turned his mug of hot chocolate around in his hands. He couldn’t help but wonder if Will knew about the lengths Jason had gone to in order to bring him into the organization. If their leader was willing to resort to kidnapping in order to get what he wanted, who knew how far he would go as long as it was _for the greater good_.

“So…” Will’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Your magic? You never did say.”

“Oh.” Nico scratched at his nose. “I can teleport people, things, anytime, anywhere, really.”

“You can… wait a sec, is that how you got out of my apartment that night after we slept together?”

“It thought we were leaving that for later?”

“We are, it’s just… I thought you had climbed out the fire escape or something.”

“The fire escape?” Nico hid his smile behind his mug.

“The front door was locked, and all your stuff was gone!” Will threw his hands in the air. “It was the only reasonable explanation I could think of at the time. Honestly, I had myself half convinced that the whole thing was a dream until you walked into this room behind Jason ten minutes ago.”

Nico let out a sly laugh. “You must have quite the imagination if you could dream up all the things we -”

“Hello, hello!” Jason’s voice was accompanied by loud opening of the door to the lounge. It took the blond a blink to notice Nico and Will sitting all too close to each other at the counter by the kitchen. “Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”

“Not at all.” Will coughed lightly. “We were just… getting to know each other.”

“That’s right.” Nico said, eyeing the backpacks that Jason was carrying and the woman that was following him into the room with a cheery smile on her face. “What’s all this, then?”

“Nico, this is Piper McLean. She’s second in command here at headquarters.” Jason explained.

“Nice to meet you, Nico.” Piper held out her hand for Nico to shake as she stepped around Jason. “Though that’s not all I do around here. I’m also head of the linguistics department, and lucky for you, chair of the welcoming committee. So if you guys can make yourselves comfortable, I’ll just go ahead explain everything we’re going to need to get you two started on the job, okay?”

“Uh, sure.” Was Nico’s reply.

“Perfect.” Piper was smiling as she reached into one of the bags and pulled out an itemized list of its contents. She placed it on the counter and spun it towards Nico and Will for them to read. Nico barely had time to make it past the first few items on the list (1. combat knife 2. chocolate bars 3. deodorant) before Piper cleared her throat to speak. “So I’m not sure how much Jason has told you, but based on your skillset, I’m sure you can guess why we want you two working together.

“Yeah… he mentioned something about an emergency response team.” Will offered.

“Precisely.” Piper grinned. “When a situation calls for a medic and we don’t have anyone close, we want you two to be our first responders. With your healing magic and Nico’s teleportation, you two should have no trouble getting where you need to be and fixing what needs to be fixed.”

“Hold on a second.” Nico spoke out. “What kind of situations are your agents getting into that they’d need near immediate medical attention? I thought you guys were all about peaceful resolution.”

“We are.” Jason assured them from his position behind Piper. “But that doesn’t mean that we can predict everything that’s going to happen when we send our people out into the field. Sometimes factors outside our control result in unforeseen circumstances, that’s why we need a contingency plan in case things go wrong.”

“What sort of things are we talking about?” Nico eyed Jason incredulously.

“Nothing outright dangerous.” Piper cut in smoothly. “Natural disaster relief is primarily what the emergency response team will be used for. It’s unlikely that you’ll see any combat at all while you’re working for us. Nevertheless, it is a possibility and as such, we’ll be putting you two through basic combat training over the next few weeks so that you know how to handle yourselves in case the need arises.”

“Combat training?” Will was biting at his lip and a way that had to mean he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the concept. “Is that really something we’ll need?”

“As I said, it’s just a precaution.” Piper assured him. “Besides, your training will have plenty of practical uses outside of our operations. It’s never a bad idea to know your way around a fight, as I’m sure Nico will attest to, considering this weekend.”

Nico merely leaned back on his stool and shrugged when Piper turned her gaze towards him.

“Anyway. I know Nico’s had sort of a long day, so I’ll spare you two the full briefing, but there’s a few things we need to be sure you understand before we let you go.”

“Number one.” Jason stepped forward, the ever-present smile gone from his face, and replaced with a more serious glower. “This is a top secret organization. Under no circumstances are you to reveal any information about our projects or even our existence to outsiders unless you are given explicit permission.”

“Number two.” Piper continued, not quite matching Jason’s stern glare. “If at anytime you feel you want to leave our organization, you are completely free to do so. We won’t try to stop you, but we will ask that still keep your knowledge of us a secret.”

“Number three.” Jason eyed Nico and then Will in turn. “You need to understand that not everyone agrees with everything that we as an organization stand for and as such, there are people that oppose our existence. So if you do decide to work along side us - which I hope you do. I can’t lie to you and tell you that it won’t make you some enemies.”

“What?” Will cut in, more than a little concerned. “Why would anyone be opposed to what you guys are doing here?”

“Yeah…” Nico drawled. “Who could possibly object to kidnapping and unlawful incarceration?”

“How many times do I have to apologise before you’ll believe that I really am sorry.”

“Never deny a man his grudges.” Nico grunted in response, unwilling to fully give into Jason’s bleeding-heart attitude. “Sometimes, they’re better than forgetting.”

An uncomfortable silence followed and Nico briefly considered whether or not it was the best idea to antagonize the man who was in charge of an organization, that apparently had a combat division, before he knew more about the situation. After all, if there was more going on that what he could see on the surface, it wouldn’t do him well to go making enemies on his first day there.

“Anyway!” Piper chirped suddenly. “I think that’s everything we wanted to go through for today. So if you two haven’t changed your minds about joining, then you’re free to go until we contact you again to schedule you for a full briefing and then your combat training.”

Will and Nico both nodded at her words, but when Nico glanced sideways at the freckled blond, he couldn’t help but notice the hint of uncertainty in his expression that he was sure was mirrored in his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus art, [here.](http://explorerbird.tumblr.com/post/152135904495/hey-look-whats-back-if-it-isnt-a-wayward-kind)


	5. Chapter 5

“Is all of this really necessary?”

Nico couldn’t help but voice his displeasure as he was once again tugged back into place atop the footstool he’d been perched on for the past fifteen minutes.

“Yes, it is.” Came a sharp reply from below his waist. “And just for the record, we’d be done by now if you knew how to stand still for more than five seconds at a time.”

Nico sighed and let his gaze wander from the squat Japanese co-ed fussing over the length of his pants towards the two others in the room. Piper was casually flipping through one of the fashion magazines she’d plucked from the huge pile on the table beside her, while Will was unsuccessfully trying to hide a smile behind the screen of his phone.

“Stop fussing so much, Drew.” Piper said without looking up from her magazine. “And try not to antagonize your costume designer, Nico. I wouldn’t put it past her to put you in full body spandex for revenge.”

Drew let out a devilish laugh as she rose to her feet and ran a finger under the waistband of his pants to test the fit. Clearly satisfied, she returned her leftover pins to her sewing kit before turning around to take in her work. “Just try to tell me you don’t think he’d look hot in something skin tight.”

The comment was aimed at Piper, but Nico couldn’t help but notice the slight flush that took over Will’s face, unsuccessfully hidden behind his phone. He cleared his throat and shot a look towards Drew. “You still haven’t told us why we need new clothes in the first place. If, like you say, we need to look inconspicuous, wouldn’t jeans and a t-shirt be the better option, anyway?”

“I think you lost your chance at anonymity in a t-shirt when you got this done, love.” Drew glided over to Nico and ran a finger up the flowers inked into his forearm.

Piper rolled her eyes when Nico pulled away from the touch. “Do you really have to flirt with every single guy that we bring here to get fitted for a costume?”

“Yes.” Drew replied simply as she made her way back to her station, either oblivious to or ignoring the hard stare Piper was boring into her back.

“As much as I hate to admit it.” Piper sighed when it was clear Drew wasn’t going to elaborate. “Drew is the best we have it comes to costume design, and it’s her magic affords her to be.”

“Your magic?” Will sat up, clearly interested.

Nico caught sight of a grin spreading across her face in the large mirror on her desk before, with a snap of her fingers and a whiff of overly fragranced lip gloss, the sheer fabric of Drew’s pink mesh top melted into an opaque black.

“A fabric I designed myself.” She turned to face the rest of them with an twirl. “Softer than silk, lighter than gossamer, and more durable than Kevlar. As long as you’re wearing something of my design, neither stick nor stone will be breaking any of your pretty little bones.”

“Yes, we’re all very impressed.” Piper replied, sounding anything but. “But, if you’re quite finished - then we need to get going. These two have combat training with Ellis in ten minutes, and you know how he is about punctuality.”

“Yes, we’re all done here.” Drew seemed unconcerned with Piper’s tone. “I’ll have both of your outfits done by next week. If you stop by then, we can pull off any necessary adjustments… as well anything else that might cross our minds.”

 “Thank you.” Will’s words carried over Piper’s groan.

“Of course, dear.” Drew ran a hand along the blond’s back as she ushered them to the door. “But, it’s about time you got going. Ellis _is_ rather unforgiving when it comes to tardiness, and I’d hate to have to alter my designs because you lost an arm before they were finished.”

\--

The facility’s training room was several stories below ground with high ceilings and ample space to serve its purpose. Overly lit and immaculately clean, one of the walls was entirely mirrored, while another was lined with shelves filled with weapons from daggers to broadswords and crossbows to handguns. Trailing behind Piper, Will’s eyes followed their reflections step by step before finally landing on their instructor.

“Piper, this kid looks like he’s twelve.” Will couldn’t help but point out the obvious as the three of them made their way towards the benches lining the nearest side of the room where Ellis was stretching out one of his hamstrings.

“Oh come on now, he just turned sixteen.” Piper replied as if it was any consolation.

Nico’s voice came from behind them. “You have a teenager teaching your combat classes?”

“Trust me.” She shrugged off his concern.  “You’ll be glad he’s not fully grown when he’s got your pinned to the ground with an arm around your neck.”

“Piper.” Ellis gave a short nod towards the brunette as the three of them approached. he rose to his full height after completing his stretch, barely meeting her shoulder, before turning towards his two students. “Will Solace and Nico di Angelo, I take it.”

“Hey, nice to meet you.” Will gave a small wave. Nico, a simple _yo._

“If you’re ready, we should get started.” The guy clearly wasn’t one for wasting time. He cocked his head towards Piper. “Are you joining us today?”

“I’m afraid I can’t.” Piper shot him a smile before turning towards the door. “There’s some paperwork that needs taking care of back in my office. Maybe next time?”

“Of course.” The boy’s hard voice sounded strange coming from his boyish face, as did the glare he leveled on Nico and Will when Piper was out of sight. “So, have either of you fought with any kind of weapon before?”

Will slowly turned to Nico, curious of the answer himself. He’d had to heal the obvious remnants of a fight from his face a few days ago, but Nico hadn’t been very forthcoming about how’d he’d gotten into it in the first place, and the mystery had served as an unscratched itch over the past few days.

“Well,” said Nico. “I was part of my school’s fencing team in high school.”

“Fencing, eh?” Ellis wondered out loud as he made his way over to the shelves of weapons. “What form?”

“Sabre.”

Ellis hummed his acknowledgement as he pulled two swords from the wall.

Before Nico could register what was happening, one of the swords was soaring towards him and Ellis was lunging towards him. He barely had any time to grab the sword out of the air before beating Ellis’s weapon aside to avoid it striking him square in the chest.

“Fuck!” Nico yelled out over the sound of metal striking metal. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Will scrambling backwards to avoid the clash, but he dared not look away from the kid across from him pulling back into recovery with his sword up. “Maybe some warning next time?”

“En garde.” Ellis replied, his voice betraying no remorse.

Nico let out a terse laugh before stepping into position and raising his sword in kind. The sabre was heavier and sharper than any reasonable safety regulations would allow for, but the balance was close enough to what he was used to. Nico let out a slow breath as he tightened his grip on his sword in preparation for the duel. He was having trouble hiding his grin. “Prêt.”

“Allez.” In the blink of an eye, Ellis dashed forward and the two of them were immediately caught up in the back and forth of a hard exchange. For several minutes, Nico did his best to hold his ground, but for every attack that he managed to parry, Ellis would connect slip past his defenses with two more. Point after point would land on his arms and chest, without him so much as breaking Ellis’s guard.

After fifteen minutes with sweat dripping down his face and with his back nearly to the wall, Nico let down his sword in defeat.

His legs were shaking from exertion as he made his way over to the bench that Will had been watching the duel from. He stood up as Nico trudged towards him and held out a hand to help steady him as he sat down. Ellis was trailing slightly behind him with a look of satisfaction on his face.

“Nico, you’re bleeding!” Will yelped when he caught sight of the multitude of cuts littering his arms.

“I’m fine.” Nico brushed off Will’s concern as he wiped at some of the blood with the palm of his hand. “It could have been a lot worse.”

“He’s not wrong.” Ellis shrugged in response to Will’s look of disbelief. “Your friend’s quite good. In the future, with a little bit of practice, he might actually be able to land a hit on me.”

“Are you insane?” Will’s gaze shot between them both before landing harshly on Ellis. “You can’t just go around stabbing people and then pretend it’s all okay because it was _for practice._ ”

“Will, really. I’m okay. The cuts aren’t even that deep.” Nico gave Will’s hand a small pat, frowning slightly at the bloody palm print left behind.

“At least let me stop the bleeding.” Said Will. “You can’t just -”

“They’d just open up again when he and I go for round two in fifteen minutes.” Ellis cut in. “So, while the pincushion takes a break, why don’t we figure out what sort of training we’ll be putting you through.”

“You can’t be serious.” Will turned back to Ellis, only to see the challenge in his eyes. “You know what, fine?”

Will launched himself off the bench and stalked towards the wall of weapons. He could sense two pairs of eyes following him as he bypassed the shelves containing various melee instruments and made his way towards the collection of ranged weapons. He ran a hand along the many types of bows lining the wall before finally stopping I front of a weapon he could actually use.

Making his way back to the bench where Nico and Ellis were waiting, he made note of the slight apprehension in his teammate’s gaze as well as the controlled skepticism in his instructor’s.

“You sure that’s what you want to go with?” Ellis asked, gesturing to the gun in Will’s hands.

Will nodded.

“Do you know how to use it?”

Will hummed his acknowledgement as he smoothly ejected the magazine, taking a second to inspect the cartridge before popping it back in with his palm and pulling back on the slide to cock the gun in one practiced motion.

“Huh.” Ellis murmured as made his way towards Will. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

“I’m from Texas.” The healer drawled out. “I was ten years old when my pops first taugh-”

Will didn’t get to finish his sentence before the gun was ripped out of his hands and his wrist was twisted painfully behind his back. Ellis had him on the ground within seconds and pinned him there with a knee digging painfully into his back. He tossed the gun casually onto the ground beside them before leaning in close to Will’s ear. “You father may have taught you how to shoot a gun, but that doesn’t mean you know how to use one in a fight.”

Will struggled to push the younger boy off, but nothing he tried could get him to budge.

“We’ll work on it.” Ellis gave Will a reassuring pat when it was clear he was done. Then, turning to Nico. “I think you’ve had a long enough break, pick up your sword, we’re going again.”

\--

“Jesus Christ, this feels so good.” Will said, his head propped back and his legs spread out wide. The sauna was filled with steam, but he could still see Nico lying across the top platform with a towel under his head and his eyes closed. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this sore in my life.”

“Tell me about it.” Nico grumbled. “I had to use muscles I haven’t even thought about since high school. I pick up a sword for the first time in years and my very first opponent is some sort of world class fencing champion. How is that fair, anyway?”

Will let out a laugh. “I have a feeling either of us could have chosen any weapon off that shelf and he’d still have been able to kick our asses without breaking a sweat.”

Nico couldn’t help but smite. “If I had known before I signed up that I would be getting my ass handed to me by a sixteen-year-old kid, I seriously would have reconsidered joining this whole operation.”

“Hey, come on now.” Will jeered. “You managed to hold your own out there. I could barely manage to hold on to my gun for more than five seconds before he had it out of my hands and his arms around my neck.”

“Hmm.” Nico hummed in agreement.

Will glanced towards the brunette when it was clear he had nothing else to add. From his position, he couldn’t see his face, so he let his gaze roam the rest of his body instead. Nico was fairly skinny, though clearly stronger than his lack of muscles let on, given the sword fighting Will had just witnessed. Small cuts still littered his pale skin, though Will had closed most of them, he’d been too tired to hide the scars they’d left behind. He’d need to rest before he could do much more than sit back and enjoy the warmth of the sauna and the view provided to him.

“I never really took you for a gun fanatic.” Nico said suddenly, pulling the healer out of his reverie.

“Oh.” Will was slow to recover. “I wouldn’t really say I’m a fanatic. It’s just that my father owned a few guns and he’d take me down to the range now and then for practice. That’s just sort of how things go where I come from. It’s not like I’ve actually shot at anything other than a target dummy.”

“Right.” Nico’s tone was neutral.

“I take it you don’t care for them?”

Nico grew silent once again, then after a moment. “I never would have guessed you were from Texas. You don’t have an accent or anything.”

Will wasn’t too concerned with the change in subject. “I only ever grew up there. I moved to New York City when I turned fourteen and I’ve been living here ever since. I guess I must have lost the accent a somewhere along the way.”

“Wow.” Nico wondered out loud. “Texas to New York? That’s quite the move.”

“Yeah, though I wasn’t really given a choice.”

Hearing the dejection in Will’s voice, Nico eased his eyes open and turned his head towards the blond, who through the steam of the sauna, he could see was biting at his lip.

“What do you mean by that?” The question seemed too big for the small space.

After what felt like an eternity of staring, Nico watched as Will raised a hand to the cut he’d opened in his lip with his teeth. Pulling his hand back, the blond seemed transfixed by the small dab of blood that came with it. Nico felt rather than watched as Will closed the wound with his magic. The smell of fresh cut grass filled his senses, sweet in the humid air of the sauna, and Nico found himself intoxicated by it. The heady scent had all but faded into the natural cedary smell of the room by the time Will finally spoke. His voice was quiet when he did. “My parents didn’t want me anymore.”

Nico was silent, unsure of how to respond.

“They’d had enough of me by the time I turned fourteen, so they sent me across the country to live with my aunt, so I could be her problem instead.”

“Will…” Nico started.

“I was twelve when I first found out about my powers. I closed up this nasty bite I’d gotten from our neighbour’s dog, crossing through their yard.” Will let out a sigh. “My parents didn’t take it so well - said it was the devil come to work his ways through my hands. After a few more incidents, they eventually had the pastor visit to perform an exorcism, not that it did anything - other than traumatize me. It did get me to stop using my powers though, and I guess things sort of calmed down for a bit.”

Nico could feel an uncomfortable lump forming in his throat. He swallowed. “What made them send you away, then?”

Will shrugged. “I told them I was gay.”

“That’s all?” Nico nearly croaked.

“I guess it was sort of the last straw for them.” Will replied. “They put me on a plane to New York City not long after that.”

“Sorry, Will.” Nico’s voice was full of sympathy. “That’s shit.”

“Yeah, well, I’m over it.” Will was back to chewing at his lip. “I take it things didn’t go quite as bad with your family?”

“No, I uh… never actually had the chance to come out to my family.” Nico said. “My mother died when I was eleven, and I never really knew my father.”

Will let out half a bitter laugh, then stopped himself short. “Sorry, I didn’t mean, it’s just - this isn’t exactly where I saw this whole conversation going.”

Nico replied with a laugh of his own. “I guess things did get a little depressing somewhere along the line, didn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Will ran a hand through his damp hair before looking up to meet Nico’s gaze. “So, what do you say we save all this heavy talk for later, and go grab a bite to eat in the meantime? I’m seriously starving after all that training we did.”

There was a glint of hope in Will’s eyes that Nico hating having to extinguish, but: “I can’t, sorry. I’ve got to get home and catch up on a bunch of studying before finals. You know how it is.”

“Of course.” Will said. “I should probably get some done myself. I’ll see you next week, then? For our next training session.”

“Right.” Nico replied as he pushed himself up off the top bench and slid towards the door. He turned around briefly as he pulled it open. “I’ll see you then.”


End file.
